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“What are we going to do with them?” Mercy asked, looking down at the men who were hog-tied at her feet.
“Bring them to the sheriff?” Jason asked.
Mercy shook her head. “He ran off a few nights ago.”
“He take one look at ol’ Mr. Woodson here and run off with his tail between his legs?” Jason asked, though his tone sounded more jesting than admiring.
“Actually, yes,” she said, ignoring Gray’s raised eyebrows. She didn’t know why she felt the need to defend him, but…well, credit should be given where it was due, and ithadbeen Gray’s presence that had scared off the sheriff.
“Apparently being stuck between the dangerous Josiah and the murderous Quick Shot Woodson was too much for the sheriff’s poor constitution to handle,” Mercy said.
Gray watched her with a curious expression, those eyes of his boring into hers.
“Murderous, eh?” Jason glanced at Gray with a grin.
He stopped staring at Mercy and waved Jason off. “Nothin’ but stories. I’m perfectly harmless.”
“Uh-huh,” Jason said, and Mercy laughed.
Gray was many, many things. Harmless was not one of them.
He finished tying up the last man and stood with his hands on his hips, looking down at them, his face drawn with weary lines. “We can at least take them to the jailhouse. They’ll be more secure there. I’d just as soon get them off the property.”
Mercy put her hand over her heart. “Why, Mr. Woodson. I didn’t think you cared so much for my safety.” She kept her tone lighthearted, but she truly was touched that he’d want to get the dangerous men off her property as quickly as possible.
He pinned her with another look she couldn’t decipher. She’d pay a nice pile of money to know what was going on in that man’s head when he looked at her.
“We keep them here, Josiah might come back around lookin’ for them. I’m too tired to fight another posse right now. A man can only defeat so many enemies a day.”
Ah. Of course. He was worried abouthimself. Not her.
“Hey, I helped,” Jason said. “That one’s mine.” He pointed at the pudgy one who was still curled up like a newborn baby.
“Took your time about it, too.”
Mercy bit her lip to keep from grinning at Gray’s droll tone. “That’s no way to encourage him,” Mercy said. She turned to Jason with a brilliant smile. “You did wonderfully, Mr. Sunshine. I’m sure you’d have been able to take on the whole lot, given the chance.”
Gray snorted. “We’ll let him try next time, shall we?”
Mercy and Jason both opened their mouths to respond, but Gray ignored them. “Go hitch up the wagon, Sunshine.”
Jason scampered off, and Mercy shook her head. “A little praise and encouragement goes a long way. He held his own today. Did better than I did,” she said with a little laugh.
“You did well enough,” Gray muttered.
Her eyes widened. “Did you just pay me a compliment?”
He gave the knot he’d been tying one last tug before standing up. “You managed to point the gun in the right direction and didn’t shoot any of your own men. Hardly rousing praise but suit yourself.”
She shrugged. “That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
He opened his mouth to argue—or maybe agree…the man was impossible to read—but Jason rolled up with the wagon and Gray turned away to help load the men. She sighed. She wasnevergoing to understand that man.
They had barely made it a quarter mile from the house before Jason began peppering Gray with questions over his performance.
“Surely you have at least one piece of advice for how I can do better next time,” Jason said.
“Nope.” Gray kept his gaze glued to the horizon, though his hands tightened on the reins every time Jason opened his mouth.
